The Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research in Mental Retardation and Human Development conducts basic and clinical research on the normal and aberrant development of the nervous system and on factors that influence neurological and cognitive function. The Kennedy Center is founded on the principal that the strength and cohesiveness of the overall research program depend on the excellence of the individual investigators and their ability to develop and maintain strong collaborative research efforts directed to the mission of the MRRCs. Center research programs are focused in four main areas: Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology; Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience; Pathobiology of Developmental and Degenerative Brain Disorders; and Normal and Aberrant Human Neurobehavioral Development. The staffing of the Center is multidisciplinary, with representation from ten basic science and clinical departments of the College of Medicine. The multidisciplinary composition of the faculty reflects the philosophic commitment of the Center to a broad-based program designed to translate basic research findings into clinical applications and ultimately therapeutic intervention. The Clinical Facilities of the Center include the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center, which forms the focus of the Center's University Affiliated Program (UAP). Several research and clinical training programs in neuroscience and in mental retardation and developmental disabilities are based at the Center. The Kennedy Center provides a large number of critical core services to Center investigators in nine Core facilities. The scientific and administrative support provided by these facilities not only enhances the scientific capabilities and excellence of the Center -investigators, but also leads to substantial cost savings because of shared usage. The overall impact of the Center Program is to attract researchers to mental retardation research and to foster basic and clinical investigations in this area.